Airship



G. A. EAGLES May 13, 1930.

AIRSHIP 7 Filed Jan 25, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet G. A. EAGLES May 13, 1930.

AIRSHIP Fil d Jan- 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (52M M V y' 3, 1930. G. A. EAGLES 1,758,076

AIRSHIP Filed Jan. 25, 1'92? 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 13, 1930 anon-en ALBERT n ienns, or GRESHAM, ENGLAND AIRSHI]? Application filed January 25, 1927, Serial No. 163,389, and in. Great Britain December 2, 1926.

This invention relates more intimately to air ships of the heavier than air type, but also to other air craft of similar type, and the objects I seek to attain by my present invention are: The ability to rise vertically from the ground or from a plat-form or like support-the ability to remain stationary in the air-the ability to attain great speed and to attain and maintain any desired rate of speed within its limits, the attainment of long non-stop distances, and greater safety in flight andin landing. I will at once proceed to describe my said invention in conjunction with the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which are to be deemed part of this specification and are to be read therewith as descriptive only and in no wise final.

Throughout the various figures of the said drawings like reference letters or numerals indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a plan of the air ship. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the air ship shewing :the internal arrangement of operating mechanism. Figures 3 and 4t shew the worm thrust rods andworm toothed wheels for imparting the vertical movement to the planes. Figure 5 shews the method of pivoting the planes, and Figure 6 is an enlarged section of same through the pivotal 9 axis of one of the Wings or planes.

Referring to Figures '1 and 2 the main body of the air ship is represented as cylindro-conoidal but I may construct the same of any other-cross section according to requirements. The ship is shewn in Figures 1 and 2 with her leading conical end a to the left, h e be ng he na ig o capt i compartment is provided with windows a of any suitable shape and substance, the rear conical @end I) being also provided with windows'ii' required. Qompartment 0 is for the rear operating machinery. (Jornpartment d is for the leading operating gnachinery, and w n ment i ihe ma nise penef i e upper deck which may be covered in and provided with windows or the deck may be open in order that it :may be adaptable 1to other pu pose lli el ii sprotide e nithl uitebly m unte i. l nd ng e .gh:;in9 i ee am 9,,-'.bi m y employ any other landing devices, such as spring supported wheels. I

The motive power of the airship is derived from a plurality of suitably disposed motors 7L driving propellers 7 and 8 generally eight in number, four on each side, or the number of propellers may be increased. The motors h being contained within their respective compartments (Z and 0, the propeller shaits i are connected to motors hthroughbevelgearing 2' and i and said propeller shafts i on each side extend through the cones to the exterior thereof and terminate respectiyely in a propeller 7 upon each side of the coneat each end of the ship and tourintermediate ,pro-

pellers 8 are provided having, two on each side of the ship and distributed between groups ofplanes m and carried upon shafting also geared to the propeller shafts i by means of an endless chain 10 and sprocket wheels 11' and l2, such propellers 8 preferably being in the horizontal axis of the wings or planes at hereinafter referred to. The shatting 9 being supported on suitable brackets 13 I employ a plurality of wings or planes 7 m preferably in three groups of three oppositely disposed on each side of the ship, each group corresponding with the group on the other side of the ship.

The position of the angle of incidence in line with the line of flight, coupled with the up and down motion given to the planes in succession n each group, partly eliminates skin friction and trailing edge drag. Every air plane has a speed limit; when the engine is accelerated beyond that limit, the-machine rises. Trailing edge drag robs it of speed; therefore surplus energy "is expended in lifting.

The opposition of rear propeller revolutions to ;line of flight creates anartificialwind drag. When-speedis,artificiallyopposed-lift is the inatural' 1:esu-l; t.' r V A vertical movement s imparted its th Wings or planes in flight with the object of :p o d eing a undu atin Ornate-like eti e t eplane thr u h th a r th hephie liminatiug say twvo-t-hirds ,of

. e t i e tha -emering cs yhesio a lows -P ies i taade used without the low lift drag ratio being evident, as the entering and trailing edges are only in line momentarily.

lVhen the desired height has been attained the plane angle may be altered more in accordance with the line of flight, which acting in conjunction with their vertical motion, would give a more rapid start oil and also a greater speed on account of the loss of trailing edge drag and diminution of skin friction through the said motion.

Lateral stability and steering are accomplished through the medium of the rear propellers.

Eccentric hafts 1 m connected by means of bevel gears Zr k to motors h carry eccentrics Z which are connected to the thrust rods n by the eccentric rods 70 and thus impart to the thrust rods axial movement in both directions.

The vertical movement is imparted to the planes on by means of the thrust rod in (Figure which carries a worm 0 which rod upon being advanced into the axial wormed bore of the toothed wheel p (Figure causes such wheel to rotate, the said wheel being so journalled that it is incapable of moving sideways, and the thrust rod a which is flat is incapable of rotation being mounted between rollers n which are spindled upon the torsion plate of. The wheel 2) gears with a rack 79 attached to the frame 1, as shown in Fig. 5.

A method of mounting the planes so that they may be free to vertical well partial rotary-movement is shown in Figures 5 and 6 in which the plane m is mounted upon its pivotal element 9 which is attach d to disk 1 such disk being mounted in ball bearings upon a circular casting s with ball race and pivoted thereto by an axle pin a, a nut 1 and back plate The :asting s is tired to the bars I of a frameof which the ends of such bars are housed at the top and at the bottom in tie bars a, said frame beirg capaole of vertical movement in its supporting guide brackets c which brackets are fixed upon the airship. Struts w to which spring from the lower tie bar a support the pivotal portion 1 of the wing or plane and in order that the wing may be capable of partial rotation around the axis of said portion 22 the upper ends of the struts w w are brought together and terminate in tube 2 which em.-.

braces a pivotpin 3 journalled in socket-s or housing at fixed within the pivotal. portion 9. 5 is a distance piece formed in two halves and 6 6 are nuts for securing the pivot pin against axial movement.

And in order that the are through which the plane is permitted to pivot should be delinitely controlled I provide the back disc 2 wi hradial slots 9 and g which slots are engaged by' stops g and 9*, it being understood that the disc .2 is so fixed upon the axle pin 00 tha it will rotate in either direction in uuison therewith.

I claim:

1. An airship having conical shaped ends, a central and machine compartments, motors in said machine compartments, three sets of wings arranged on each side of the airship, means for imparting, independent vertical movement to each wing, from said motors, propellers on each side of said airship and means for driving said propellers from the motors.

2. An airship having conical shaped ends, a central and machine compartments, windows therein, motors in said machine compartments, three sets of wings on each side, aspace between each set of wings, a frame supporting each wing, means for imparting independent vertical movement to each of said wings from said motors, propellers in each side of said airship arranged at the conical ends and between each set of said planes, and means for driving said propellers from the motors.

3. An airship having conical shaped ends, a central and machine compartments, motors in said machine compartments, eccentric shafts geared thereto, thrust rods, a toothed wheel carried by each said thrust rod, eccentric rods connecting said thrust rods to such motors, three sets of wings on each side of said airship, a frame supporting each wing, imparting vertical movement thereto, brackets supporting each of said frames, a pivoted disc integral with each wing carried by said frames, a back plate, radial slots in said back plate, stops carried by said disc operating in said radial slots, struts attached to the ver tical frames and wings respectively, propellers on each side of said airship, said propellers driven by the motors.

4. An airship having conical shaped ends, a central and machine compartments, motors therein, eccentric shafts geared thereto, thrust rods, rollers supporting same against rotation, a torsion plate carrying said rollers, a worm provided on each thrust rod, a pinion with an internal worm engaging therewith, a rack geared to said pinion, three sets of wings on each side of said airship, a frame, supporting each wing, imparting vertical movement thereto, brackets supporting each of said frames, a pivoted disc integral with each wing carried by said frames, a back plate, radial slots in said back plate, stops carried by said disc operating in said radial slots, struts attached to the vertical frames and wings respectively, propellers on each side of said airship said propellers driven by the motors.

5. An airship having a plurality of motors, eccentric shafts geared thereto, thrust rods moving laterally, rollers supporting said thrust rods against rotation, a worm provided on each thrust rod, a pinion with an inmssme ternal worm engaging therewith, three sets of wings on each side of the airship, frames moving vertically supporting each Wing, brackets supporting said frames a disc pivoted to each frame being integral with each Wing, a back plate, radial slots therein, stops integral with each disc operating in said slots, struts attached to the vertical frames and Wings respectively, a tube formed at the out er end of said struts, a pivot pin journalled in sockets embracing said tube, a distance piece inserted over said pivot pin, the latter being secured by nuts, and propellers on each side of the airship, the propeller shafts being driven from the motors.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE ALBERT EAGLES. 

